The Gift of Imperfection

How do you deal with the things you don’t much like about yourself? What do you do with your perceived imperfections?

I pondered this question after reading a moving article in the Health Section of The Washington Post. A medical doctor who stutters shared her journey. Embarrassed about her speaking voice in med school, she sought speech therapy and now trains other medical professionals on how to better serve persons who stutter. She offers a wonderful gift to medical professionals and the people they serve. Here is a link to the full article:

One thing I really liked about the article was the way the doctor repeatedly referred to herself as “a person who stutters”. She never once said she is a “stutterer”. She knows what is number one: she is a person. Her traits and characteristics do not reduce her value and worth as a human being.

When we are embarrassed or ashamed about something we have done or some aspect of who we are, we can decide we are not okay. We forget we are so much more than whatever is troubling us in the moment. We are all imperfect by the standards of the world. And we are all absolutely perfect by the standards of that which holds us all in loving kindness. Allow acceptance to begin to work it’s way into your heart, for acceptance lies at the very heart of transformation. We all have the power to transform imperfection into a gift, just as the doctor did.